Read Chapter One Of Murakami's Upcoming Novel...Today!

The good folks at Random House have posted the first chapter to Haruki Murakami's newest quirky & existential novel, After Dark, on their website. Read it now, and get excited for the book's May 8 release.

via: bookslut.com

Name the Nuisance

edu says:
"I apologize in advance if this somehow exemplifies my ignorance: Is there a name for the people who sit on the floor of the graphic novels aisle in bookstores (who invariably read manga)? I tried 'manga hobos' but it doesn't sit right. I don't mean to criticize: those books can be pricey. But they're always in the way!"

If you have a better name for these folks, post a comment in edu's Flickr site.

(They ended up choosing 'hobotaku'!)

via: boing boing

Psst!

There's nothing like the powerful influence of friends and relatives. They seem to have an opinion about all topics under the sun (and everywhere else, for that matter). Whether it's what movie you should go see, what sort of person you should date, what your career should be, where you should live, how you should wear your hair, what you should invest in...There are always going to be those friendly dictators in life who are determined to "gently suggest" or "nudge" us in one direction or another.

I usually stand firm when those "you should" people start to slyly introduce such commands-- I mean suggestions-- and politely say something to the effect of "Go fly a kite!"


When a truly friendly suggestion comes along, however, perhaps pertaining to books and music, my mind and ears are always gladly open. Obviously, the great thing about knowing a large bunch of people is that you are inevitably going to become inducted into a variety of worlds...Different cultures, different interests, tastes, smells, sights, philosophies, beliefs, etc...Such marvelously human attributes will come flooding into your world, expanding its already bright and diverse spectrum.

When your friends and relatives really take care to know who you are, and are genuinely interested in contributing to your individual world, it is a delight. This past weekend, for example, a friend and I went on a long drive and began to discuss books. We shared our favorite stories, characters and authors. We made lists of our favorite novels and children's books. We recommended titles to each other, focusing on our favorite genres and writing styles.

I even managed to sell a book to my friend! She had just finished Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and was searching for something to fill the void that appeared upon its completion. I told her that if she loved Jonathan Strange, she would undoubtedly enjoy Freedom & Necessity, which is a book that I am rather obsessed with. My friend took my suggestion and I was so elated! That is the sort of friendly give and take that I adore. It's kind of like that movie with that creepy Haley Joel kid...The one who looks like someone stuffed two pale blue marbles into his face and mistook them for eyeballs...You know...What is the name of that film...? Oh, I think it's called "Pay it Forward". Anyway, it's a cheesy movie and Kevin Spacey's face is as crispy as a toaster strudel, but the basic concept is true: to be able to give something to another and receive so much in return is rather incredible. Even if it's something small, like making someone a CD filled with music you think he or she may enjoy...It's marvelous! I want to recommend books, etc. more often than I already do!

Chef Neil Connolly Kennedy Kitchen Event

Last Wednesday, April 18th, the Inkwell hosted award winning chef Neil Connolly for a talk and book signing. We had a great turnout with more than 40 people, and completely sold out of his book, In the Kennedy Kitchen. The audience listened to Neil's stories of life and cooking on the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport, where he was the personal chef for Rose Kennedy for twelve years. Neil brought samples of his recipes (brownies and cookies) for the crowd to nibble on, and signed personal inscriptions in each book. Click here to read Neil's interview in the Cape Cod Times. We would like to extend thanks to Neil and his wife, Neil's media consultant Virginia Bride, Williams Sonoma, and Rachel Kempster publicist for DK Publishing for helping to make our event a sweet success!

In Defense of Independents

Jacob Bricca directed a documentary about the fight for the survival of the independent bookstore. Indies Under Fire: The Battle for the American Bookstore is the result of six years of research and filming, and is the first documentary to look in depth at the issues surrounding the growth of "super-chain" bookstores. Click here for the NPR article and interview with Jacob Bricca about Indies Under Fire. Also featured in the podcast are Connecticut booksellers, Stu Hecht, owner of The Book Vault in Wallingford, Ct; Cliff Simms, owner of Labyrinth Books in New Haven, CT; and Sarah Bedell, owner of Bookworm in West Hartford Center, Connecticut. The in depth coverage of the topic is not only relevant to bookstores, but to all small businesses. Click here to view the trailer of the documentary.

Books to Beguile

Political books are hot, but are they just spin? In the April 22 New York Times, Michiko Kakutani wrote, "Most books by politicians are, at bottom, acts of salesmanship: efforts to persuade, beguile or impress the reader, efforts to rationalize past misdeeds and inoculate the author against future accusations. And yet beneath the sales pitch are clues — in the author’s voice, use of language, stylistic tics and self-presentation — that provide some genuine glimpses of the personalities behind the public personas."

Book Clubs - Meet the Author

As part of its monthly book club, the Guardian hosts a live discussion between the author of the book in question and UCL professor of English, John Mullan. Some of the featured writers are: Margaret Atwood, Graham Swift, and Ruth Rendell. Click here to hear the Guardian Book Club podcasts.

At the Inkwell, we run a variety of book clubs. See our website for the list of clubs, dates & times we meet, and reading selections. Betsy Doud moderates the Classics Book Club, and like the Guardian, has reached out to make her club more interactive. The club is reading A Death in the Family by James Agee for the April 25th club meeting. We will have a special guest, Deedee Agee, the daughter of the author. Betsy said, "James Agee's daughter, Deedee, has agreed to come down from Hingham to be part of our discussion of A Death in the Family. I had seen on one of the web pages that she lived in the Boston area, and just decided to contact her. She said she would be happy to be part of the discussion, and is going to read a remembrance that she herself had written about her father." What a wonderful way to enrich the reading experience!

Big Brother is Watching...George Orwell

"It may have taken a little longer than he predicted, but Orwell's vision of a society where cameras and computers spy on every person's movements is now here." This quote is from a recent Daily Mail article. The comments to the story are funny and true. Click here to read the full article with comments.

Pulitzer Prize Winners 2007 Announced

Winners for Literature and Drama

Fiction: The Road by Cormac McCarthy (published by Knopf)
History: The Race Beat by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff (published by Knopf)
Biography: The Most Famous Man in America by Debby Applegate (published by Doubleday)
Poetry: Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey (published by Houghton Mifflin)
General Nonfiction: The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright (published by Knopf)
Drama: Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire (published by Theatre Communications)
To view all the Pulitzer winners click here.

Random House swept the awards this year with 4 out of the 6 categories. (Knopf and Doubleday are part of Random House.) Right now, the Inkwell has The Road, The Race Beat, The Most Famous Man in America, and The Looming Tower in stock, but they won't last long. Any time a major award is announced the titles sell out, and it generally takes three weeks for them to be reprinted. We are particularly pleased that David Lindsey-Abaire won for Rabbit Hole since we brought a group tour to see the play in Boston at the Huntington Theatre in December.

The other finalists for Fiction were Alice McDermott for After This and Richard Powers for The Echo Maker. To view the other category finalists click this link.

Weekend News to Amuse

Our Own Worst Enemies
The L.A. Times had a story about people reading their embarrassing teen diary excerpts at a bar in Brooklyn for "Cringe Night." Just last week, I was tearing up pages from my old diary as my boyfriend was doing his best to read them. Some things are best left forgotten, or at least shredded. Unfortunately, in the future, we may not be able to completely dispose of our maudlin My Space/blog entries so easily.

In the Kennedy Kitchen Author Interview
This Wednesday, the Inkwell is hosting executive chef Neil Connolly for an author talk and book signing. His new cookbook, In the Kennedy Kitchen, features the best recipes that he served to the Kennedy's at their Hyannisport Compound where he was their personal chef for twelve years. Join us on April 18th at 6:30 p.m. to sample some of Chef Connolly's treats. The Cape Cod Times recently interviewed Neil about cooking for the Kennedy clan and his new cookbook. Click this link to read the article.

Charlie Rose - Video Interview
with Thomas L. Friedman
Charlie Rose conducts some of the most enlightening and comprehensive interviews around. This link is for his interview with Thomas L. Friedman, author of the bestselling The World is Flat. In The World Is Flat, Friedman brilliantly demystifies the new flat world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, he explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; how governments and societies can, and must, adapt; and why terrorists want to stand in the way. More than ever, The World Is Flat is an essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.

Readin' in the Rain...

The weather has been foreboding of late...We're used to it though--we're New Englanders! We never know quite what to expect- Barry Burbank, Matt Noyes and other meteorologists always seem desperate for some kind of disaster to strike. As a kid, I always looked forward to the promise of a wicked snow storm (and they always promised, and I was always disappointed) but in time I've become immune to the New England meteorologist's tendency to speak in deranged hyperbole.

They weren't kidding this time, though! I was awakened more than once last night, as the wind was clawing at my roof and dancing wildly with the trees in my backyard. Oh the madness of it all! The formidable abandon! It makes me want to build a tent out of couch cushions and tablecloths...It makes me want to read in bed with a flashlight under my sheets...It makes me want to hunker down with a huge cup of tea and not resurface until I've read my favorite book, cover to cover...

When the rain pounds down so hard that it sounds a bit like Riverdance is being performed on my roof, I always feel compelled to read a good book. Rainy day reads are unlike any other. On dark, rainy days, you've really got to read something special-- something captivating and ultra delightful. A rainy day read carries the weight and responsibility of keeping the reader alert and engaged. If you're reading Prokaryotic Diversity Mechanisms & Significance on a stormy day, for example, you'll probably slip into a vegetative state within five minutes. If, however, you're reading a diverting family drama such as Through A Glass Darkly, or a rollicking, exceedingly well narrated novel about Irish rebellion, like A Star Called Henry, you'll be riveted and glad that the weather is so forbidding.

Devoted reader I certainly am, but when it's a gorgeous, bright summer day I always feel guilty about staying inside. I usually go for a nature walk, take a trip down Cape, run errands, etc. I crave the approach of twilight because it gives me permission to curl up on my favorite toile quilt and read until midnight. When the weather is this murky and unforgiving I never feel guilty about staying in. In fact, the thought of venturing into the perpetual darkness is enough to make me burst into tears. That's why I love a messy week like this. I've been given a ticket to read until my heart's content.

Here are some excellent rainy day reads that you may enjoy:

Wuthering Heights
Jane Eyre
Persuasion
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Snow Falling On Cedars
My Name is Red
Shadow of the Wind
The Shipping News
Pride & Prejudice
Freedom & Necessity
Reservation Blues

(Also, there's nothing like a good mystery or true crime to keep you enthralled on a sleepy, stormy day)

Tell No One
A Great Deliverance
The Dark Wind
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (Series)
And Then There Were None
Murder on the Orient Express
Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil
In Cold Blood

These lists could go on forever. What are your favorite rainy day reads?

When an Icon Dies: Kurt Vonnegut

When a famous person dies, we all feel it; we think we personally know these strangers who live their lives in the public eye. With the passing of Kurt Vonnegut, it seems like the urgency and passion of the Sixties has faded a little more, and only a ghostly image is left of the idealism that once gripped the youth of our country. When an important voice is silenced, a voice that spoke for humanity, we all mourn.

The New York Times featured a retrospective about Vonnegut today. After reading the article, you can't help but reflect on his outlook. This excerpt from the article reminds me why I loved his books. "The title character in his 1965 novel, “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater,” summed up his philosophy:

“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here.
There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’ ”

You can be cynical and grieving, but still love this world.

My favorite Vonnegut books are: Sirens of Titan, Breakfast of Champions, Bluebeard, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.

The I's of Bookselling: Independent/Individual

Being a bookseller has its perks. We receive free ARCs (Advance Reading Copies) from publishers months before the titles are available to the general public. Publishers send out these ARCs to generate word of mouth excitement about their books. In this competitive market of selling books, independent bookstores succeed against the odds by remaining close to what they know best...good books. Independents gain the trust of their customers, and this is the reason for repeat business. Lisa See, (see photo above) bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, wrote an article in Publisher's Weekly that is a heartfelt first hand account of the impact even a single bookseller can have on a book. She wrote, "So at a time when the industry adamantly embraces its numbers game, I have a new appreciation for the role of the individual bookseller, who not only brings books and readers together, but can make totally unexpected things happen—one book, one customer, one book group at a time." Her words reaffirm the meaningful connection between authors, booksellers, and readers.

That reminds me of a story. Kay, our best handselling bookseller, is an avid mystery reader. Five years ago, she was enthusiastic about an author she had read for the first time named Harlan Coben. His book, Tell No One, kept her up all night; she shared her discovery with her fellow booksellers, friends, and most importantly, with customers. Over the next three years, Kay sold a phenomenal 500 copies of Tell No One. When our bookstore was planning a Mystery Panel, Kay was determined to have Harlan Coben attend. Unfortunately, his schedule was filled, but he sent Kay a personal email that was funny and very appreciative. Kay was thrilled.

Speaking of Harlan Coben, we're anxiously awaiting his new book, The Woods, which is arriving next week. It is the story of four teenagers who twenty years ago, while at summer camp, walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, their lives are about to change again.

Einstein: His Life and Universe
by Walter Isaacson

By the author of the acclaimed bestseller Benjamin Franklin, this is the first full biography of Albert Einstein since the recent release of Einstein's personal letters in 2006. This book explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk, a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn't get a teaching job or a doctorate, became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos, the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom and the universe. His success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marveling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a morality and politics based on respect for free minds, free spirits, and free individuals. Isaacson was interviewed on NPR following his article in Time Magazine when Einstein's letters were first made public. Click here to listen to the interview.


Sign of the Times

This interesting tidbit appeared in the Shelf Awareness email today. Japanese teenagers are devouring more and more comics on their cell phones, Business Week reported. More than 300 websites offer some 10,000 stories for cell phone downloads, and last year Japanese consumers spent $20 million to view manga on handsets. The cell phone option is especially attractive to women and girls "who might have been coy about walking into a shop," as one publisher put it. However, another publisher said, "Many are still loyal comic book readers who use downloads as a way to try something they might not normally buy." Click here to read the full article.


Bookstore Buffet...All You Can Read

Bookstore hopping was featured as a pastime avid readers enjoy in the April edition of the Quill (Inkwell's monthly newsletter.) There is a website devoted to this endeavor called Bookstore Tourism. Visit the site to plan your own road trip, or join one of their organized tours. Flickr, the photo sharing website, has some beautiful photos of bookstores around the world. Definitely  worth checking out! 

List Crazy: What to Read and What You've Read

I recently read So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson. It is a book of essays about her New Year's resolution to read a book a week for a year, and write a diary about her reading adventure. She started with a general list of "should reads", and found herself straying from that list almost immediately!

I love seeing book lists...what to read, what has been read, lists of favorites to pass on, etc. Check out this great blog about books. (http://www.themillionsblog.com/2007/01/most-anticipated-books-of-2007.html) This particular page has lists to not only inspire your reading, but will make you want to establish your own similar lists such as a reading queue, books read over the previous years, and notable books of the forthcoming year. (The only unfortunate part of this blog is that all the book links take you directly to Amazon. As an independent bookstore owner, that pains me! Why is Amazon not perceived as direct competition to independents in the eyes of our customers? Case in point, just this week a man told me he would just get something on Amazon as though it was no big deal...everyone shops there after all, right? I think he forgot he was talking to someone behind the counter at a brick and mortar bookstore.)

I started writing mini book reviews of everything I read about 15 years ago. It's fun to look back on the path your reading forms; you can clearly see the transitions between authors and genres. You can say it with a sigh, pride, disgust, or with gratitude - so many books, so little time.

What's On Your Nightstand?

True bibliophile that I am, I have an incredible number of books piled upon my nightstand. Each night I have to carefully maneuver around my book mountain in order to shut my light. My eyes never waver from the leaning tower of books, which has grown so tall that I fear it will topple onto my bed in the middle of the night. What's on my nightstand? I'll tell you.





A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater also by Vonnegut
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
Being Nobody, Going Nowhere by Ayya Khema
A Woman of Independent Means by Elisabeth Forsythe Hailey
Zoology by Ben Dolnick
The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho
Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles
Dry by Augusten Burroughs

All of these titles are precariously perched atop the magnificent boxed set of The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper. I hardly have room for my special night kit which is comprised of a few hair elastics, my green hair brush and my Burt's Bees lip balm. I think I'm in serious danger of being mauled by my most cherished possessions, as there's not enough room to accomodate them all. I suppose reading faster might aid me in diminishing the threatening pile next to my bed. Although, even if I finish all of the books piled on my nightstand, 15 more books are sure to arrive at said nightstand's funeral. I've got to resign myself to the fact that my night table will be perpetually occupied by an unstable stack of books.

Something rather embarassing has just occured to me...For someone who reads as much as I do, I can be rather thick-headed...There's a much more obvious solution to my overcrowded night table conundrum. I could just go out and buy a bigger table. Geez! Better yet, I can just begin to pile books on the floor next to my bed! I've already got a tiny stack on my hope chest that's going through some kind of gestation period...It's sure to grow into another honking pile over the next few weeks. Another solution would be to stop buying books...Nevermind that one. That would be much more of a problem than a solution.